After hand-washing dishes, it is common to place the dishes on a countertop rack to allow for air drying or for holding wet dishes prior to hand drying all of the dishes at once. After the dishes have dried and have been put away, the dish rack is often stored, for example in a cabinet, until it is needed again.
Dish racks generally take a significant amount of countertop space because a larger area to hold more dishes on a dishrack is desirable. As a consequence, dish racks are often bulky and are difficult to store.
One attempt to create a less bulky drying solution has been the dish drying mat, which is generally a flexible substrate upon which wet dishes can be stacked. The drying mat can then be folded or rolled for storage when it is not in use. However, the traditional drying mat does not have any side walls to allow for plates or other items to be leaned in a vertical orientation to thereby maximize the number of dishes that can be held on the drying mat.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a dish drying rack that provides for a large area for drying dishes that can be reduced to a relatively compact size and shape for storage. There is also a need in the art for a dish drying rack that allows larger items to be held vertically by leaning against a side wall that can be reduced to a relatively compact size and shape for storage.